More concentrated solar power (CSP) with thermal energy storage system would reduce the contribution of natural gas cycles and coal, which would lower the price of electricity in the wholesale market.

Solar thermal energy is renewable, compared to wind energy and photovoltaic, which generates more electricity per MW installed since last May, thanks to its 7.5 h storage systems (one in three plants in Spain). In fact, solar thermal, with 2.3 GW installed, generated 689 GWh in August, representing 3.4% of total August generation (20,283 GWh), according to ESIOS data collected by Protermosolar, the Spanish Association for the Promotion of the Solar Thermal Industry.

For Protermosolar, a good example of the good functioning of solar thermal technology is that the power plants have once again surpassed the historical record of continuous generation above 100 MW, reaching 17 consecutive days (from July 16 to August 2), despite the fact that solar thermal power plants were originally not designed for continuous operation.

Protermosolar stresses that an increase in thermosolar power with storage in the future would contribute not only to the reduction of emissions from fossil fuel backup plants but also to the reduction of the cost of electricity in the wholesale market.

Although the data provided by REE, either through its website or that of ESIOS, are not considered definitive until a few months have elapsed and the absolute generation figures could have slight variations, these data show the reliability of the solar thermal generation and they allow to project certain expectations in the case of a greater deployment, says Protermosolar.

Protermosolar is the association that represents the Spanish sector of the thermoelectric solar industry and is made up of 48 members. Solar thermal technology, in which Spain is an international leader, has recently entered the world of renewable energies with strength and currently has great growth potential due to its manageability and storage capacity, due to its high employment creation local and for its potential to reduce costs. The installed capacity in Spain is 2,300 MW and the contribution of Spanish companies in international markets is around 75%.